Empty
by Mr. Peabody Hawke
Summary: [one-shot; mild shounen-ai] One of the problems with being a hopeless romantic is that nobody knows when to take you seriously.


Well. This has to be the most random and spontaneous thing I have ever written. It fell out of the sky and landed in my lap... rather like Raw Horizon, only this didn't take three days to write. And it's not twenty-two and a half pages. Heh.

Extreme thanks to Vyctori for her time with this, and also to Dots and Neko for their input. Yes, I need three people to okay a two page fic before I can post it. Hush.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own but a single cartridge of Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken. And no copyright papers. They seem to have gotten lost in the mail.

Warnings: Um… very mild shounen-ai? Do you even need to be warned?

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**Empty**

It was not long after midnight that the red-haired cavalier of Eliwood's band was found reading alone in the dim library of the castle. A fading fire cracked weakly on the hearth and cast suspicious shadows on the dusty bookcases and tapestries, but even the creaking of the door seemed to go unnoticed in the deafening silence, so engrossed in his novel was he. The newcomer shivered slightly at the chill of the room, but did not deign to put another log on the fire. Instead, he trotted up to the lone occupant of the room and hovered above him until acknowledged.

The red-head lowered his book reluctantly. "Hello, Sain."

"Kent, my good fellow, you'll never believe this!" his antagonist cried enthusiastically.

"Believe what?" was the wary reply.

Sain beamed at him, practically twirling with excitement. "I'm in love, Kent!"

Kent raised a crimson eyebrow. "You're right, I don't believe it." He gave a resigned sigh, as though he had foolishly been hoping for something a little more profound, and returned to his reading.

The brunet flung a hand across his forehead as though pained. "You hurt me, Kent! How can you be so callous in the face of such a serious matter?"

There was a pause as this comment was thoroughly ignored. "Kent!" the brunet's voice took on a slightly whining tinge. When he failed to get any reaction, he sighed loudly and threw his hands up. "And that's exactly how it is! My love is not returned. I am a scorned man."

"So what else is new?"

Sain scowled darkly at his companion. "I'll have you know that I am dead serious about this. This is not another one of my petty whims, a damsel to chase after only because of convenience." He paused. "Although I suppose acquiring such would be one hell of a lot easier."

"Yes, and we all know how successful you've been in that regard, don't we?"

"Quiet, you," the young romantic snapped before reverting seamlessly back into his exaggerated lamentations. "Ah, but for the requital of my affections! To know that such beauty is so near, yet so far away! Play a requiem for me, Kent, for I shall never truly live again!"

"I'll make sure your funeral plans are taken care of, then."

"Oh, be still, my aching heart!" he cried dramatically, falling to his knees.

"It's 'beating heart,'" Kent said mildly, not looking up from his book.

"No, mine's aching," corrected Sain matter-of-factly. He clutched at his chest and returned to performance. "Oh, that such agony should be known, that such love should go unrequited! How can such pure feelings be denied? Surely, it is but once a lifetime that such an emotion is felt!"

"Sain, you're after a different woman every day. That's hardly 'once in a lifetime.'"

"No!" The brunet shot to his feet, his face mock indignant. "You understand not! Long have I felt this way, and a mere crush it is anything but!"

Kent flipped a page his book nonchalantly. "Who are you practicing for this time?"

Sain scoffed gratuitously. "'Tis not practice! I speak from my very soul, with honesty and love in an attempt to woo the love of my life!"

The red-head looked up at him now in confusion, one eyebrow cocked. "Sain… we're the only ones in the room."

His companion paused, then turned and smiled at him sadly, face devoid of all previous traces of humor. "I know."

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Review? (it makes teh Eva happy)


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